The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission approved a concept site plan for a Royal Farms convenience store and fuel canopy in Lexington Park on April 25, voting 4-3 after more than three hours of testimony and deliberation.

The approved plan covers a 5,154-square-foot convenience store and a 5,280-square-foot fueling canopy at 21779 Tulagi Place in the Lexington Park limited commercial-industrial (LCI) zoning district with an APZ-2 overlay. Commissioners placed one condition on approval: any road improvements required by the state or county must be completed concurrently with issuance of the project’s certificate of occupancy or as otherwise required during the final-site-plan process.

The action capped a hearing in which county staff and the applicant reviewed zoning compatibility, traffic study results and agency comments. Department of Land Use and Growth Management staff reported that convenience store and fuel sales uses are permitted in the LCI/ APZ-2 combination and said Navy comments attached to the staff report did not object to the proposal.

Royal Farms’ attorney Chris Longmore and the project team presented the plan. Civil engineer Steven Jarrett of KCI Technologies described site layout, pedestrian connections, landscaping and stormwater measures; traffic consultant Jackie Chandler of Traffic Concepts said the traffic impact study used 2017 state counts adjusted to current-year equivalents and conservative assumptions where data were lacking. The study found the project meets the county’s adequate public facilities standard, and county staff and the State Highway Administration and Department of Public Works had not lodged objections for concept approval.

Speakers for Royal Farms said tanks are shown as underground in the engineering plans and that the store would provide 16 seats (eight outdoor, eight indoor), below the Navy’s suggested 20-seat limit inside APZ-2. Royal Farms said it would include conduit for future electric-vehicle charging but is not installing full chargers at this stage.

Opponents — including local business owners, residents and faith leaders — gave nearly two dozen public comments opposing the project. A central theme of opposition was protection of a long-running local diner and small-business cluster in Tulagi Place known as Linda’s Cafe, which speakers described as a community landmark and gathering place. Opponents also raised traffic and safety concerns at nearby Great Mills Road (MD 235) and South Coral Drive, saying additional fuel and convenience traffic would worsen existing queuing and turning conflicts near the base gates and local businesses.

Delegate Brian Crosby and multiple residents urged commissioners to preserve the small-business block. Pastor James Spence said his church, Oasis of Victory, had been located on the property for more than three decades and said relocation would harm its ministry. Speakers also pressed for clearer assurances about the Navy’s long-term plans for base gates cited in recent news reporting; the newspaper account that prompted questions described a possible Gate 2 upgrade but county staff and the applicant said the published story reflected speculation and that Navy liaison comments in the staff packet did not object to the plan.

Commissioners discussed several issues in deliberations: the site’s compliance with the Lexington Park Development District plan and the zoning use chart; whether removing current nonconforming uses (seated restaurants and other uses on the parcel) to replace them with uses permitted in the LCI was consistent with the adopted plan; traffic impacts at nearby intersections; and whether county or state road work should be required before the store opens. Several commissioners said they found the traffic analysis conservative and noted that agency approvals are on record; others said the traffic and public-safety questions and the strong community opposition argued for delay or additional mitigation.

After debate, the commission approved the concept plan with the condition that any road improvements required by state or county agencies be installed concurrently with the project’s final approvals and certificate of occupancy. The vote was recorded as: Kim Summers, yes; Merle Evans, yes; Joe Van Kirk, yes; Howard Thompson (chair), yes; Patty Robrecht, no; J. Pazekas (commissioner), no; Joe Saint Claire, no (4–3).

The developer and staff said they will proceed to the major site-plan and final engineering phase and will work with county departments and the State Highway Administration on any required roadway design and construction at the final-site-plan stage.

The commission’s decision preserves the landowner’s right to redevelop the parcel with uses allowed by ordinance while setting a condition aimed at ensuring that any roadway mitigation identified by agencies is completed before the project becomes operational. Opponents said they will continue to press for protection of Linda’s Cafe and other small businesses and to request that county and state agencies re-evaluate turning movements and sight lines in the area.

The planning commission will consider the project again if and when it returns for major site-plan approval, when final engineering, any required roadway plans and other technical details must be resolved and signed off by county staff and reviewing agencies.